The Six Pronunciations of the “oo” spelling
There are six ways to pronounce the “oo” spelling in English. Moon, book, door, flood, cooperation, and brooch are all pronounced with different vowels. Don’t panic! Let’s break it down.
Let’s start with the most common pronunciation.
The most common pronunciation of the “oo” spelling is /UU/*, the same vowel in “flute”. This vowel is pronounced with a high, back tongue position and rounded lips. You can find this spelling-vowel pair in these words:
Google, boot, proof, boost, scoop, zoo, moon, loop, food, mood
This list is not exhaustive.
The next most common pronunciation is the /ʊ/ vowel, the vowel in “book”. This vowel is pronounced with a similar tongue position as /UU/, but with a slightly lower, more forward tongue position that is relaxed. The lips are relaxed, not rounded, and the vowel may be slightly shorter in duration. You can find this spelling-vowel pair in these words:
book, foot, hook, look, took, cook, hoodie, cookie, good
Another common sound-spelling pair for “oo” is /ɔr/, sounding like “or”. This vowel is pronounced in a similar position as the English /OH/ vowel, but with a slightly lower tongue. You can find these “oo” + “r” combinations in these words:
floor, poor, door, moor
These words have the same vowel + R pronunciation(/ɔr/) as: pour, score, etc.
The next pronunciation of “oo” is /UH/ (IPA: /ʌ/). This vowel is pronounced in the center of the mouth, in a similar place as the schwa, with a tense tongue body. Here are some examples:
flood, blood
Another less common “oo” pronunciation can be found in “cooperation” and “zoology”. Here the “oo” spelling is broken into two syllables and is pronounced /UU wah/. “Zoology” can be transcribed as /zuu WAH luh jee/ (IPA: /zuˈwɑlədʒi/)
Finally, the least common pronunciation is “brooch”, which is pronounced with an /OH/ vowel (IPA: /o/).
Unfortunately, there is no obvious pattern here that can help you learn the pronunciation for all “oo”-vowel pairs. This is something you just have to memorize. Make lists of the words you have difficulty with and record yourself saying them, making corrections as needed.
Written by Sarah Sherer, PhD
*I use a combination of IPA and my own transcription system in this article to make reading accessible to those you are not familiar with the IPA. The specific use of IPA is noted in the text.